What Had Happened WasTrending stories on the intersections of race, sports & culture

Daily DoseWorkers make a sand barrier to protect the construction site of the Olympic beach volleyball stadium for the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games from the water at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on June 13, 2016.
Construction of the Olympic beach volleyball stadium at Rio’s Copacabana beach has been frozen due to an administrative oversight, Rio’s environment office told AFP on Monday. / AFP / VANDERLEI ALMEIDA (Photo credit should read VANDERLEI ALMEIDA/AFP/Getty Images)VANDERLEI ALMEIDA/AFP/Getty Images

Daily Dose: 6/30/16

9:35 AMThe Undefeated team went out to Nationals Park to see a ballgame Wednesday night and it was a great time. Before that, we taped the podcast to talk BET Awards, Stephon Marbury’s shoe line and soccer in black America. Check it out.

“Make America Great Again” is a term wretchedly fraught with ahistorical nonsense. The obvious implication is that this country needs to have more white faces in positions of power, which, ahem, is racist. Why? Because the man spouting said tagline seems to believe that anyone with brown skin is an automatic problem that needs addressing or elimination. Check out the work of a New Mexico artist Vanessa Bowen who’s creating hats that say “Make America Native Again,” which makes a ton more sense. ABC News’ Avianne Tan has the story.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is making moves. The #OscarsSoWhite controversy that took over the internet — highlighting how incredibly nondiverse the nominations have been, not only in the past but specifically the last two awards shows — apparently has had a real effect. Today, the academy sent out nearly 700 invitations for new members and of that group about 40 percent were people of color and or women. OK, we see you. ABC’s Lesley Messer breaks down the exact numbers and what that means for Hollywood.

Istanbul is reeling after terror attacks rocked its international airport Tuesday. Forty-three people died and hundreds more were injured. As disturbing, there is relatively clear video footage of much of the incident, which for some reason makes the entire tragedy harder to digest. According to officials, none of the three attackers were from Turkey. However, while it feels like every week we’re seeing another terrorist act, the truth is that on a global scale, they are down. FiveThirtyEight’s Andrew Flowers explains though, where they have not decreased.

So, how are preparations for the Summer Olympics shaping up, you ask? Well, aside from the political unrest, disastrous anti-doping setup and nobody wanting to go, they’re great! Oh, what’s that? Body parts are washing up ashore in the very location of the beach volleyball venue? I see. Well, at least they’re aren’t drug traffickers running around creating havoc and occupying police resources that could otherwise be used for protecting the event? Oh, that’s happening, too? Alas. ESPN details how violence in Rio de Janeiro is not slowing down.

Free Food

Coffee Break: If you haven’t been paying attention, Mother Jones reporter Shane Bauer decided to take a job as a corrections officer in Louisiana. He’s been documenting the process and, throughout, it’s been pretty terrifying. The publication released a five-part series on what it’s been like for him, and the final one is about prison riots. Yikes.

Snack Time: I tried to warn y’all, but NBA player Nick Young’s life is getting even more hectic. Rapper Iggy Azalea went on a serious Twitter rant about how he got his baby mama pregnant while the two were together. This is getting very ugly.

All Day Podcast: 6/29/16

5:42 PMThe crew was back in the studio this week after staff writer Justin Tinsley had quite the eventful weekend in Los Angeles for the BET Experience festivities. Spoiler alert: He didn’t actually attend the BET Awards show, but was on the ground for a plethora of events.

Does it matter that soccer isn’t that prevalent in black America? The group tackles this question in the third and final segment of the show.

Give it a listen, and if you have any feedback or show ideas, feel free to email us at allday@theundefeated.com.

Also, if you’re in Washington, D.C., on Friday, join Tinsley for the #MarchOnUStreet, a long overdue celebration for LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, the winners of the 2016 NBA title. Hit him up on Twitter @JustinTinsley for details.

Black Lives MatterSAN FRANCISCO, CA – NOVEMBER 07: DeRay Mckesson speaks at the GLAAD Gala at the Hilton San Francisco on November 7, 2015 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kimberly White/Getty Images for GLAAD)Photo by Kimberly White/Getty Images for GLAAD

DeRay McKesson is back

3:39 PMWhen civil rights activist DeRay McKesson first announced he was running for mayor of Baltimore, many looked at it as the first step of the Black Lives Matter movement transforming from collection of protestors to an actual political force. It didn’t quite work out that way, as he finished sixth in the Democratic primary. Now, he’s going back as a school administrator in his hometown.

On Wednesday, Baltimore City Public Schools announced that McKesson would serve as the interim chief human capital officer, according to The Baltimore Sun. It’s a return to his old career where, in Minneapolis, he worked in the school system, before he became the most famous demonstrator in America.

Daily Dose: 6/29/16

The attacks in Istanbul are devastating. I’ve never been there, but for a long time, I used to make an idiotic joke in which every time someone brought up the city, I’d ask them if they knew how to spell Constantinople, and refer to the location as such for the rest of the conversation. That bit ends today. A terrorist blast killed 41 people (the count as of now) and the images of the scene are terrifying. We won’t get into the political situation in Turkey and that whole history, but mass murder is never cool. ABC News has the story on the ground, and a first-person view.

I met someone yesterday who told me that I can’t afford to not watch Game of Thrones. It was the most compelling argument I’d heard for not being a fan in a long time. I don’t do dragons and trees (sorry, Lord of the Rings) but I do enjoy robots and lasers. I also don’t like sweet things, but I do like salty treats. However, Game of Thrones is something that I feel like a loser about. Don’t email me about this, please, I get it. It’s a great show, that was never in question. I just don’t watch it. Anyway, there will be two more seasons, TWO, according to the showrunners.

With the Olympics coming up, there’s a discussion we need to have. It’s about the mouth-breathers who can’t seem to understand the concept of gender as a relatively fluid matter and will inevitably freak out about something regarding an athlete, in the name of the “sanctity” of a competition. Caitlyn Jenner is an example of how that malleable framework can create issues for people who live in a world of hard regulations. Yet, the details of the scenario of who can compete and when are important to those who care. FiveThirtyEight’s Christie Aschwanden explains.

Now that Cleveland has its identity-changing championship, let’s talk about LeBron James. Technically, if he wants to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers again, he can. As in, his contract allows for such. And according to his agent, he declined his player option, which would have earned him a couple dozen million bucks. You never know, he might just peace out and create Team Banana Boat, just to make a complete mockery of the NBA, which would be glorious. If you’re a conspiracy theorist, now is the time to start worrying. ESPN’s Chris Broussard has the details.

Free Food

Coffee Break: It’s worth pointing out that the movie Coming to America was released 28 years ago today. There’s a pretty solid argument that it’s the best comedy in movie history. Actor Eddie Murphy has done a ton of brilliant things, but that one was his magnum opus, as I see it. ESPN’s His & Hers paid tribute a while back.

Snack Time: The story of Zurlon Tipton is about as sad as it gets. In a situation that is so uniquely American, he accidentally shot himself and died, while trying to buy a car. He used to play for the Indianapolis Colts in the NFL.

NBASEOUL – AUGUST 14: Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James of the USA Basketball Senior Men’s National Team spend time in the mess hall at the Yongsan Army Base as part of Hoops for Troops on August 14, 2006 in Seoul, South Korea.Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images

You know you’re balling when you have your own Snapchat filter. If you don’t recall, the legendary banana boat situation that unfolded last summer with NBA stars LeBron James, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and actress Gabrielle Union, Wade’s wife, in the Bahamas created huge drama in the NBA rumor streets, and much comedy in black media. It was a light-hearted moment that the social-networking site has finally adapted, now that they’re back on a similar trip.

We have a couple problems with this, though. Number one, the actual characters in the picture that went viral a) were not in this order and b) didn’t include New York Knick Carmelo Anthony. Apparently, Union tried to convince Anthony to get on the boat, but he wouldn’t. This gives us an opportunity to gratuitously drop in one of the greatest memes of all time that DOES include Anthony.

$15 kicks

The Coney Island native, who not only made it out of the Brooklyn, New York, neighborhood but made it to heights that most jokers who claim to like basketball will never respect, is the subject of the latest in Spike Lee’s Lil’ Joints series. $15 Kicks, directed by Jenn Shaw, takes a look at how the former NBA point guard tried to revolutionize the shoe game that NBA legend Michael Jordan so dictatorially wrecked for generations. Full disclosure: I love Steph. And if you’ve never heard writer Frank Isola’s story about him, you need to.

“He was a superstar NBA point guard, but wanted to try to do something different and change the game,” Howard Schacter, former chief executive officer of Steve & Barry’s, the retail clothing chain that launched the shoe, said in the film. “He just didn’t believe that the price tag that kids, particularly in the inner city, were paying for shoes was fair.”

If you’re not familiar with the scorn the Starbury shoes garnered, or how this product completely realigned how people looked at Marbury on a certain level, this movie cuts right to it. When it came down to it, Marbury made people happy. I know plenty people who wouldn’t be caught dead in these shoes, but still respect why he did it. If you think income inequality in America isn’t a real thing, just ask them if they’ve ever considered buying a pair of Starburys.

The short film takes a look at all of that from a style, economics and basketball standpoint. You also get a lot of fun throwbacks, like vintage looks at ESPN sportscasters Stuart Scott and Scott Van Pelt with hair. Not to mention it barely scratches the surface of Marbury’s downright god-like status in China, which could be a whole series unto itself. The next time you get a statue built of you in any country is the first time you should make fun of Marbury.

Also, make sure you stay for the credits.

Daily DoseWASHINGTON, DC – MAY 29: Former NCAA basketball coach Pat Summitt is presented with a Presidential Medal of Freedom by U.S. President Barack Obama during an East Room event May 29, 2012 at the White House in Washington, DC. The Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, is presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

Daily Dose: 6/28/16

9:35 AMLegendary University of Tennessee women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt died Tuesday at the age of 64. Watching her teams play was a real joy and it’s not even close when it comes to the question of who’s the best to ever do it — she’s at the top.

A poster from the Red Cross about swimming pool safety is making serious waves. The promotional image, which showed various do’s and dont’s about how to act when you’re swimming, featured people of various races, except there was one problem. The only people doing anything wrong in the image were black people. I’m shocked, SHOCKED, to find that gambling is going on in here. (Sidebar, I just saw Casablanca for the first time in my life, like six months ago.) Anyways, it appears to be the closest version of an “honest” mistake there is, ABC News reports.

Brexit is a complete mess. Basically, the actual act that needs to happen for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union is something that no one really wants to be responsible for doing. So, as a result, the referendum, which technically is nonbinding, doesn’t mean much for Parliament unless it REALLY wants to make itself look stupid. Short version: former Prime Minister David Cameron checkmated the hell out of his opponents on this one, and now they’re stuck. Now, the EU is pressing them to make an actual decision. Yikes.

I went to college with a lot of Republicans. It was always an interesting question to tackle when you’d be in the gamble spot, because you had to make an instant decision as to whether that was going to affect the actions of the night. Typically, it didn’t. But, sometimes it did. Some were really into the whole bit, but at that age, ultimately, getting along meant more than who you planned to vote for. Alas, it is still an intriguing question. Could you marry across the aisle? FiveThirtyEight’s Eitan Hersh examines how many people actually do.

Sticking with the hack jokes, England is out of Europe, again. Look, Brexit is serious, and football is just soccer, but England’s exit from the Euros is nothing short of shocking. Why? Because the country lost to the Land of Ice, which is playing in its first major international tournament. And the English didn’t just lose, they got banged out. The game wasn’t particularly close, even though the Three Lions scored first on a well-deserved penalty. Anyway, Iceland is in the quarterfinals and it’s awesome. Listen to an Icelandic broadcaster lose his mind — again — after the win.

Free Food

Coffee Break: I could not possibly care less about Star Trek, but I do appreciate historical artifacts. And an 11-foot-long model of the U.S.S. Enterprise is a pretty cool thing. It almost, ALMOST, fell apart until someone at the Smithsonian decided that was simply unacceptable. I love this story in more ways than one, so check it out.

Snack Time: This is a great selection from the “they don’t want you to succeed” menu. Shouts to DJ Khaled. Seriously, the assumption that all people who need help are on drugs is one of the most screwed up things, ever.

Dessert: Protip — if you’re looking for that fresh 4th of July haircut, today is the day to go to the barber sans stress.

When President Barack Obama announced the beginning of normalized relations with Cuba just before Christmas of 2014, it was referred to as a thaw. Soon enough, tourists were showing up on the shores of Havana, and Major League Baseball was playing games there. Over the weekend, the U.S. Department of State sent our grandest human export to the communist nation as a sports envoy: NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal.

“The Diesel” was joined by Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Kaleb Canales, the first Mexican-American coach to ever lead a team in the NBA, when he served as the head coach of the Portland Trailblazers for 23 games in 2012. According to the State Department, the mission of the trip was to “demonstrate how sports can serve as a means of developing academic, leadership and teamwork skills,” as well as to “highlight the importance of social inclusion and respect for diversity.”

Photographs from the island nation of the 7-footer are tremendous. He’s not only lifting kids up to dunk, he’s also taking photos with random people. Imagine waiting effectively your whole life to see a country that’s been effectively isolated from an entire world for decades and running into O’Neal there. You’d take a picture, too.

“We just want to come over here and extend our friendly hand and just start smoothing things out,” O’Neal told The Associated Press. “It was great for [President Obama] to reopen the door, regain a better relationship with this beautiful island.” The plan is for O’Neal to do more than just shoot hoops. He’ll also be visiting historical sites and spreading his trademark cheer.

I guess we’ll have to call him “The Big Diplomatic” from here on out.

BET AwardsLOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 26: Recording artist French Montana peforms onstage during the 2016 BET Awards at the Microsoft Theater on June 26, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/BET/Getty Images for BET)Photo by Kevin Winter/BET/Getty Images for BET

Everything else from the BET Awards

9:59 AMBeyonce, Jesse Williams and Prince were clearly the most important three things that happened at Sunday night’s BET Awards in Los Angeles. But they were far from the only fun topics to talk about it. In no particular order, here were some other highlights, none of which involve who won what.

https://twitter.com/Genius/status/747245443663409152

• Chloe x Halle. The two actual sisters, and Beyonce’s proteges, wowed the audience with a performance of their song Drop. They’ve been on the come up since singing covers on YouTube, and have signed with Beyonce’s Parkwood Entertainment label for a six-album deal. Their album, Sugar Symphony, is out now, if you want to cop.

• Desiigner. Panda is obviously the song of the year in hip-hop to this point, so it was clear he was going to perform. But if you’ve never seen the 19-year-old Brooklyn, New York, native perform, you were in for a surprise. Just ask rapper Fabolous. He had a stare on his face so blank, you just had to assume he did not know that this was potentially the future of the game. Personally, I’d love to see Desiigner and DJ Esco in a dance off.

https://twitter.com/Da_Real_MsVirgo/status/747256302569586689

• Birdman. He might have been sitting next to his boo, Toni Braxton, but when he was on stage he brought Jacquees with him to do the nominations, in a silent role. If you are a serious Cash Money Records fan, you might be familiar with his work in such songs as Come Thru. Either way, his nearly identical appearance to, ahem, Lil Wayne was obvious for everyone to see. Awkward.

• Scott Disick. The Kardashian man was in the crowd Sunday night, chewing gum and apparently having a not-so-great time. Alas, they didn’t pan the camera his way when his homeboy French Montana was ripping the stage with Fat Joe and Remy Ma, who was rocking the best outfit of the night, by the way.

Daily Dose: 6/27/16

9:16 AMBefore we get to the BET Awards, we need to point out that it aired on a couple different Viacom networks, which included Nickelodeon. That must have easily been the realest program ever on that network.

The United Kingdom is borderline embarrassing itself at this point. Following the Brexit vote, in which tons of people voted to leave the European Union — while not even understanding what they were voting for — there are now reports of xenophobic attacks on foreigners taking place across England, because, of course. The financial markets across the globe have taken a decent hit as well, which means that the U.K. will be hard pressed to prove that it can stand on its own, without panicking. ABC News’ Brian McBride has the details.

If you missed the BET Awards Sunday night, you missed quite a bit. Singer Beyonce opened the show with a surprise appearance from rapper Kendrick Lamar. She then promptly got on a plane to London for a show and had her mom accept her awards. There were the Prince tributes, as well. My personal favorite was crooner Maxwell, although Jennifer Hudson got up there and took us to church with her rendition of Purple Rain. The moment of the night, however, came from actor/activist Jesse Williams. Here’s the full speech. ABC’s Candice Williams recaps the rest.

I don’t love pizza and I don’t particularly like puzzles. But there is something sort of intriguing about puzzles about pizza. The history of pizza cutting is a funny one. No. 1: Who decided to first make it in a circle? And why when making a pizza in a square do most people then cut it into squares? Some of life’s mysteries we’ll never get an answer to, but thanks to FiveThirtyEight’s The Riddler, here’s one question that will get solved. If a robot cut your pizza by picking two chords along the circumference and making three cuts, what is the expected number of pieces?

The best soccer player on the globe will no longer be playing for his country. In a somewhat surprising moment of emotion Sunday night, Lionel Messi, who’s never won a major international tournament playing with Argentina, said he was done with the national team after it lost in penalty kicks to Chile in the Copa America final. He’s only 29, but this loss was particularly painful because he took the opening penalty, and missed it. It’ll be a shame to never see Messi in the Albiceleste again, but it’s his life. ESPN FC reports.

Free Food

Coffee Break: Because of where I’m from and the nature of the jobs I’ve held, discussing politics is something that comes second nature. But in the sports world, things are a tad different. The two things quite obviously overlap all the time. But for reporters, how appropriate is it to have those convos in public? Here’s a discussion on the matter.

Snack Time: Former pro running back Herschel Walker thinks he can still play in the NFL. Why he would want to, or why he feels the need to say this every three years, who knows? But Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe is definitely not here for any of that talk.

Desmond Mason

4:58 PMYou might remember Desmond Mason from the NBA. A high-flyer who came out of Oklahoma State and won a dunk title with the Seattle SuperSonics, he was a fun player to watch for a good few seasons. Now, he’s a full-time artist, who’s created works for the likes of actor George Clooney and former league commissioner David Stern. It’s not a remotely new venture for the 6-foot-5 Texas native, though. He majored in studio art in college.

Now, he’s done an interview with Just Not Sports — a podcast that describes itself as sports talk with any talk about sports. It’s a fun listen, with Mason discussing how he got into graffiti and where he draws his inspiration from. He really is a fascinating, multi-faceted guy. He describes himself as an “abstract expressionist.”

They talk about the worlds of street vs. gallery art and what it means to hone your craft at the highest level in multiple disciplines. Also, in case you didn’t know, Mason has bars, too. Back in 2007, he made a song called We Dem Hornets about his team at the time. As far as music either by or about basketball players, or both, it’s pretty solid. It’s no You Da Man, but then again, nothing is.

“I always say, you evolve or you dissolve,” Mason said at one point on the podcast, regarding his approach to life. Pretty good advice from a guy who’s found his place and really understands that, for some people, ball is not life.

Board on SaturdayFilipino skateboarders gather for Go Skateboarding Day in Manila, Philippines on June 21, 2016. Skateboarders around the world celebrate Go Skateboarding Day on 21 June every year.
(Photo by Richard James Mendoza/NurPhoto via Getty Images)Photo by Richard James Mendoza/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Go Skateboarding Day

7:00 AMIf you don’t know what Go Skateboarding Day is, it’s pretty self-explanatory. It’s a quasi-holiday in which people from around the globe celebrate their love for the sport, law enforcement be damned. Here are some highlights from the day, which was Tuesday.